CMO Council Survey: Content Sharing Circles Have Strong Impact on Vendor Selection

Published: March 31, 2014

Business buyers have become more reliant on third-party information to make business decisions and look to content sharing circles to help them along the buying process, according to a new study conducted by The CMO Council in partnership with NetLine Corporation.

The study, titled: The Content Connection to Vendor Selection, provides insight into how different types of marketing content impact critical stages of the buying process.

The study also found that buyers tend to be clustered in distinctly different content sharing circles based on how the purchasing process is being driven, as well as their levels of collaboration and decision-making responsibility.

Other findings include:

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  • More than two thirds (68%) start their content sourcing at search engines and portals, while 40% go to vendor websites and 25% are activated by an email from a trusted source or peer;
  • Technical details and specs about products are the second-most valued source of content across their buying journey, according to 44% of those surveyed; and
  • A majority (86%) of respondents frequently or sometimes use digital content to identify complementary or add-on products, while just 12% undertake further content sourcing.

“Consumers of content today are smart, educated and weary of all of the noise,” notes Robert Alvin, CEO and Chairman of NetLine Corporation. “What we see, time and time again, is that there is a fundamental truth about content: The more the content speaks to your target market, the greater the level of response.”

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